


Five Businesses Oliver and Tommy Never Went Into Together

by belmanoir



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-19
Updated: 2014-02-19
Packaged: 2018-01-13 00:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1206868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belmanoir/pseuds/belmanoir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In "Vendetta," Laurel says to Oliver, "You've always wanted to get into business with Tommy. I mean don't you remember when we went to Aspen, and you wanted to open a ski lodge...?" I'm assuming that wasn't the only joint venture he's suggested over the years.</p>
<p>
  <i>Tommy shakes snow off his boots. "Hey, Ollie, I need you to check the motor on lift #3 again. It's still making that weird noise." When he pushes back the hood of his parka, his cheeks are red with cold.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Businesses Oliver and Tommy Never Went Into Together

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Sonia for helping to brainstorm this story.

**1\. Ski lodge in Aspen**

Tommy shakes snow off his boots. "Hey, Ollie, I need you to check the motor on lift #3 again. It's still making that weird noise." When he pushes back the hood of his parka, his cheeks are red with cold.

Oliver looks up from unsuccessfully coaxing Laurel to share her hot chocolate, his mouth twisting in annoyance. "Again? I've tuned that thing three times this month. Can't we just buy a new one?"

Tommy sighs. "I guess we'll have to. Remind me later, our hot stone massage therapist just quit and I have to call all her appointments and talk them into hot tubs instead."

"Better you than me." He leans in to kiss Laurel. "I'll be back soon. Don't go anywhere." 

"I don't know..." She gives him a sly smile. "A hot tub sounds pretty great."

Oliver grins back, snagging his own parka off the hook and zipping up his boots.

"Better sign up now," Tommy says. "The schedule's about to fill up. Although I've heard the guy who does the schedule is open to bribes from beautiful women."

She looks at him under her lashes. "In that case, there's a five dollar bill in my wallet with your name on it."

"Share the hot tub with us and it's free."

She shakes her head firmly. "I just passed the bar exam, and I need to soak in hot water with a spectacular mountain view and jump naked into the snow without you guys leering at me."

"We don't leer," Tommy says, mock affronted. "Ogle maybe, but never leer."

She pulls him towards her by his sweater. "You could talk me into foozball for three later, though."

"Mm," he agrees, leaning in for a kiss himself. "I'm very persuasive."

She laughs and doesn't bother to contradict him.

 

**2\. Party planning**

"I don't need a party," Laurel says. "I especially don't need a party thrown by Tommy 'Rager' Merlyn."

"You just won your first class-action lawsuit," Oliver points out. "Sounds like cause for celebration to me."

"We can do laid-back elegance," Tommy informs her. "Merlyn & Queen Party Planning works with you to create the atmosphere that best suits your event. It'll be sushi, pinot noir, and Beyoncé as far as the eye can see."

Laurel hesitates. "I do love Beyoncé."

"And cupcakes," Oliver says. "Carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting."

She tries to hide her smile. "Fine. But only because I deserve it."

 

**3\. A bed and breakfast**

"Tommy, this granola is incredible." Laurel comes through the kitchen door in complete defiance of Avalon Bed & Breakfast's guest rules.

"Oliver makes it. Don't ask what's in it, though. It's proprietary."

Her eyes sparkle. "I wouldn't dream of it. Can I have an omelette?"

Oliver pulls open the screen door to the porch. "If I murder our contractor, will you guys help me hide the body?"

"Absolutely," Tommy assures him. "That deck was supposed to be finished in March."

"Yeah," Laurel agrees. "I was promised a deck overlooking the San Juans. I may have to leave a negative Yelp review."

Tommy and Oliver exchange glances. "Don't even joke," Oliver says tightly.

Tommy reaches for the carton of eggs. "I guess I'll have to make you an omelette to make up for it, even though our menu clearly states that your options are scrambled with or without cheese."

"I picked up some mushrooms in town." Oliver pulls a brown paper bag out of the fridge and tosses it to Tommy. "Laurel, are you still coming on the boat tour? I'm warning you, Mr. and Mrs. Finkel from Seattle will probably tell stories about their marriage the entire time."

"Hmm." Laurel pretends to consider. 

Tommy snorts. "Please. Listening to old people talk about still being in love fifty years later is you guys' jam."

Oliver and Laurel smile helplessly at each other. 

"I'll just stay here washing dishes and supervising the contractor." He heaves a long-suffering sigh.

Oliver winks at him. "We'll make it up to you later."

Tommy tilts his head. "I'm going to need specifics."

Oliver leans in to whisper in his ear. Laurel can't hear him, but she ducks her head anyway, her hair falling across her face to hide her smile.

 

**4\. Running a lifestyle website**

"Dude, what happened to your face?" Oliver is openly laughing at him.

"I tried out a shaving gel that is definitely _not_ getting the MurmurNation.com seal of approval. I'm working on a top five luxury shaving products post."

"Maybe you should work on a moisturizers post next," Oliver suggests.

Tommy throws a shaving brush at him.

"I'm just saying, you don't want to have a dry, reddened face for our week in Tangier with Laurel."

Tommy glances at him. "Laurel canceled."

"What?"

"She's working on that class action suit against that insurance company that wouldn't pay out for the Glades earthquake, remember? She says she has evidence the quake was man-made and not an act of God."

Oliver rolls his eyes. "Sounds like she could use a vacation to give her some perspective. How are we supposed to write 'top 5 getaway spots that will get you in her pants' if we don't bring a girl with us?"

Tommy shrugs. "You can call her if you feel like listening to another lecture about how tacky it is to keep posting about our wealthy, glamorous lifestyle in the aftermath of a large-scale disaster, exacerbating tensions in the city, blah blah blah."

Oliver grimaces. "I guess I'll just have to get in your pants instead."

"Really? Even though I have a dry, reddened face?"

Oliver shakes his head. "The sacrifices I make for this business."

 

**5\. The club**

"And thank you for celebrating Verdant's five-year anniversary with us!" Oliver gestures to the DJ and climbs off the bar to thunderous applause. "We are the Champions" plays.

Tommy claps him on the back. "Good speech."

Oliver grins back. "Good signature cocktail."

Tommy preens.

Laurel appears at his elbow. "I'll take three," she tells Sally, her favorite bartender. "One for me and two for these handsome gentlemen."

"You look megahot tonight," Tommy tells her. "And I will be right back to drink that with you once I've checked in with the bouncers."

"And I have to help out in the kitchen for a minute," Oliver says. "We're already low on sushi rice."

Laurel raises her eyebrows. "Well, since you guys are so responsible, I'll just have to take your drinks down to Felicity and Diggle."

Tommy pouts, but they all know the odds of either of them getting back here in the next half-hour are low. "Just make a lot of noise when you go down the stairs," Oliver warns her. Tommy snickers.

Laurel laughs. "Did you walk in on them or something?"

"Definitely more than once," Oliver says ruefully.

"You know," Laurel says, "when you guys opened this place, I didn't really think it would last."

Oliver laughs. "Neither did my mother." He claps Tommy on the back and heads for the kitchen.

Tommy drops a kiss on her lips. "See you later?"

She beams at him. "Count on it."


End file.
